ED 24. Is high sensitive C - reactive protein associated with erectile dysfunction in elderly male?

Introduction: The importance of endothelial dysfunction and inflammation in erectile dysfunction (ED) has been well documented and it may share its pathogenesis with atherosclerotic vascular disease. The serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is a non-specific marker of systemic inflammation, and well established risk factor in atherosclerotic vascular disease. Recently introduced high sensitive CRP (hsCRP) has more accurate value than conventional CRP. Hence, we evaluated the association between hsCRP and ED in aging men.

Material and Methods: Our study used a multistage stratified design to recruit a random sample of 1510 men aged 45 years or older in Korea. Men with the urologic (except for BPH) or neurologic diseases that could cause erectile dysfunction were excluded. Also, if men had been recently medical conditions that could cause or suppress inflammation such as infection or NSAID use, these men were excluded. The serum hsCRP levels were analyzed by continuous variable, top 10 percentile, top 20 percentile and top 25 percentile. ED was defined as an International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), analyzed by severe (5-7 points), moderate (8-11 points), mild (12-21 points), and normal (>21 points).

Results: Finally 338 men were recruited. Mean age was 69.1 (47-93) years, and mean serum hsCRP was 0.277 (0.035- 7.769) mg/L. Men with mild, moderate, and severe ED were 100 (30.1%), 16 (4.8%) and 110 (33.1%), respectively. No statistically significant association was observed between the hsCRP levels and IIEF-5 (P>0.05). Also, in analyses including covariates such as age, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, alcohol, smoking and IPSS index, the serum hsCRP level was not significant risk factor.

Conclusions: Age, alcohol and IPSS were associated with ED in aging men. However, the serum hsCRP levels were not associated with ED in aging men. The systemic inflammation is not a immediate risk factor of ED in aging men.